Serving creative entrepreneurs! 

Last time I shared Part 1 and my story of last season of life and business. I’m thrilled to finally be ready to share what’s ahead!

The story of why I am transitioning away from full time wedding and portrait photography…

About five years ago when our oldest, Noah, was a few months old I began having thoughts and feelings of wanting to close my photography business. It felt like too much. There were so many other photographers in my area who were not only good at the craft, but served and loved their clients well. I didn’t feel needed. But, God told me to stay with it. I didn’t understand, especially in the seasons where I hit financial and health set backs. I would tell God again, “I’m done.” But each time He told me to stay with it, to trust Him. One night a few years ago in the middle of the night when I was at the end of myself I walked downstairs, set down on the couch in the dark, and cried out to God about what the point of all this struggle was. What I heard from Him (the still, small voice in my heart) was, “I have prepared you and I am preparing you.” A few more years of experiences and new friendships later and it finally clicked why He told me to stay. He told me to stay so I’d discover who ‘my people’ are and fall in love with them.

I’ve discovered that when you find your people and fall deeply in love with them you find your destiny.

My people are creative Kingdom-minded entrepreneurial women. Your people may be children, the elderly, moms, military families, engaged couples, those who don’t know Jesus, your local community or school, teens, or any number of other groups of people. Give your heart, gifts, talents, and resources to them in any way you can. Most importantly…

Fall in love with your people and see them for their destiny and you’ll find yours.

About four years ago I began co-leading a group of Christian business women in my area with one of my dearest friends, Anna Kerns. As that group of beautiful women grew and shifted a few times I grew and shifted along with it. I saw with my own eyes and experienced the value of mentoring, leadership, and community to inspire women to start and grow businesses, leave businesses to honor their values and current season of life, overcome fear, press through heart ache, celebrate accomplishments and champion each other, and most importantly grow in their relationship with God. A major shift began taking place in my heart during this time.

My heart’s desire shifted from seeing my own dreams fulfilled to seeing others’ dreams fulfilled. 

I began to see the fruit of how God used me and others in our group to equip and encourage each other. I began to see how the right questions asked at the right time and full of love challenge a person to reach into their own heart for the answer that’s been waiting there all along. I began to see the difference it can make in someone’s life when they have one or two (or more) people who truly believe in them and see them for their destiny and not just their current circumstances. I began to see just how far these women could go when they finally named their fears and saw them for the measly lies that they were. I began to see that there are women everywhere waiting for someone like me to link arms with to help them overcome their current circumstances to see their dreams fulfilled.

In God’s Time

I actually came to realize and understand most of what I described above last year, early in 2018. I started dreaming and planning and had determined to “launch” my new business by my birthday last year. However, God in His infinite grace and wisdom stopped me. I had to eat some of my words and fail some people in promises I had made because I made them in my own “wisdom”, timing, and strength and not in God’s. Holy Spirit invited me to pause from my normal for a whole year. November 2018-October 2019. He asked me to clear my calendar of obligations and to check in with Him about each and every business inquiry that came my way. Some He told me I could accept and others He said no. This past year has been a big walk of faith. And it was one of THE GREATEST gifts He has given me. He gave me TIME. Time to detox from perfectionism, striving, hustling, and business as usual. Time to lay down the burden of providing for myself and my family. I’m not going to say it was easy. It was not. I would have much preferred the comfort of anticipated income. It stinks to have to say, “Sorry we can’t join you because finances are really tight right now.” for a whole year! But there are precious gifts God can only give us in the valleys that cannot be experienced on the mountaintops of life.

He gave me a year to go into a process with Him that I needed in this season now to prepare for what is quickly coming next. This past season I was able to know and experience Him more deeply, to invest in my own internal growth and capacity, and to wait for Him to make needed connections and build relationships with others.

If you don’t take anything else away from this part of my story, my heart is that you’d walk away with this…

It’s okay to pause. Follow God’s leading. Jump off the hamster wheel. Turn off the stair climber to nowhere. Don’t demand things happen in your timing. YOU WILL NOT MISS OUT ON WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU if you’re connected to Him! Anything God asks us to surrender to Him in faith will be given back to us in His timing and more abundantly with His breath of life breathed into it and His power and grace to sustain it.

So finally I’m excited to share…

I will be serving entrepreneurial women through Mentoring, Creative Branding Portraits, and writing!

My mission is to equip, encourage, and empower Kingdom-minded women to fulfill their God-given destinies through God’s Word, mentoring, and leadership training.

My vision is a world where women fulfill their destinies to start and grow Kingdom businesses, ministries, and nonprofits by growing in their relationship with God, their true identity, and in leadership. They bring Heaven to earth in their unique callings to create legacy for their families, growth for their communities, and positively impact the world.

My plan is to fulfill my mission through offering one-on-one mentoring sessions and branding portraits for creative entrepreneurs. In case you’re wondering, you are creative. Yes, YOU! Each and every person is made in the image and likeness of God. Since He is the Ultimate Creator and you bear His image, you too are creative! So let’s link arms and begin the fun stuff, shall we? Head to my BRAND NEW website to view my current offers and the exciting ways that we can partner together to bring Heaven to earth through your unique calling and create legacy for your family, growth for your community, and positively impact the world.

If you don’t know me yet, my name is Jenna Shriver.

I’m a photographer of over eleven years, a writer, and a mentor for creative female entrepreneurs. I’m also a wife and grateful mom of two young boys, Kingdom-minded, old-soul, lover of all things farmhouse style, encourager, and community builder. I believe that women CAN prosper both personally and professionally no matter the circumstances when their hearts are at rest in their God-given identity.

What is Mentoring?

“Mentoring is most often defined as a professional relationship in which an experienced person (the mentor) supports and encourages people to develop specific skills and knowledge that will maximize their business potential and improve their performance. In short, it is the transfer of knowledge, skills and experience.” Definition from BusinessMentors.org.

I will honestly and openly say that I may not have more experience than you in the type of business you’re pursuing or in other areas. I believe that’s okay because when we are in Christ we have access through the Holy Spirit to all truth and to wisdom. My calling to mentor others isn’t founded on my experiences or successes, but on God’s grace on my life to help others break through barriers, activate their gifts (mental, physical, and spiritual), and hear from God for themselves. God has given me gifts of mentoring, administration, and counseling. Those three gifts partnered with your expertise and with the wisdom of Heaven can bring about the breakthrough, growth, and action you need to move towards your dreams and goals.

Does this sound like you?
– You have a business dream and desire time and financial freedom to live the life you’re dreaming of.
– You have a talent and desire to start a business, but have no idea where to start.
– You know what business you want to start, but have no idea who you’re meant to serve with your services and products.
– You’ve begun the business planning process, but the distance between where you are and where you need to be to launch is overwhelmingly paralyzing.
– You’ve invested in education to learn all the things, but you are unsure how to put it all together uniquely for your business.
– You deeply desire to honor God in your business, but you’re unsure if the education and leadership you’ve received is godly advice or just worldly advice.

After working with me…

– You will start or grow your business dream.
– You will have clarity about who you’re meant to serve and how you’re meant to serve them.
– You’ll replace the paralyzing overwhelm with peace by implementing organization, plans, and steps to reach your goals.
– We will partner together to seek God’s solutions for your business and the people you’re called to serve.
– You’ll grow in leadership skills necessary for running a business.
– You’ll be equipped to lead both a healthy business and a healthy life.
– You’ll partner with God to bring Heaven to earth for the people you’re called to serve.

What are Creative Branding Portraits?

Creative Branding Portraits and Custom Styled Stock photography are professional images to showcase your business’ brand, services, products, and unique story for your website, social media, advertising, and marketing purposes.

Does this sound like you?
– You’ve been stuck using free stock photos and have found difficulty in connecting with your target audience.
– You are struggling to find the time and space to create high quality images to tell the stories of your business and life.
– It’s frustrating to you that the images you create don’t equal the quality of or the vision you have for your products or services.
– You don’t have enough images of you and your team to help prospective clients genuinely connect with you.
– You struggle with getting in front of the camera and feeling comfortable and free.

Creative Branding Portraits and Custom Styled Stock images will…

– Tell the story of your business, ministry, or non-profit and the services and products you offer.
– Connect with your people, serve your audience, and eventually sell to those who need your products or services.
– Provide you with quality images that elevate the overall excellence of your business and brand.

Written resources and writing services coming in the future :)

Do you have several dreams, but are unsure which one to pursue?

Maybe you’re launching your dream, but desire support in areas that you don’t have expertise in. Do you thrive when you have accountability and administrative support to achieve what you set out to do, but struggle to make progress without it? Lastly, maybe you’re stuck in a rut and are ready to throw in the towel unless you get help, support, and Godly encouragement. If you can resonate with any of these struggles then one-on-one mentoring may be a great solution for you!

Do you currently have an existing business, ministry, or nonprofit OR are *almost* ready to launch? Are you desiring high quality imagery for your website and social media that creatively showcases your brand, mission, and products or services in a way that tells your story to connect to and serve your audience? If this is true and you know the value of professional photography and recognize it’s ability to serve and sell then Creative Branding Portraits may be a great solution for you!

Head to my website to view the exciting ways that we can work together to bring your dreams into reality!

If you find yourself saying yes to everything above then reach out about how we can provide an amazing value in combining these great services for your business, ministry, or nonprofit.

If you’re a Kingdom-minded entrepreneur or dreaming of starting your own business and seeking encouragement and equipping sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for my e-newsletter here.

Please use the contact form to inquire or email me directly at Jenna@JennaShriverPhotography.com

View other Mentoring Posts

View other Creative Branding Portrait Posts

(Teaser: there is a Part 3 and another exciting business related announcement coming soon!)

Photos by the lovely Beth T Photography.